Stop Online Illegal Plant Poaching From Destroying Ecosystems
6,509 signatures toward our 30,000 Goal
Sponsor: The Rainforest Site
The illegal plant trade is pushing rare species to extinction and destroying ecosystems—it's up to us to call for stronger protections and stop this devastation before it's too late.
The illegal trade of rare and endangered plants is spiraling out of control, putting some of our planet’s most precious species on the brink of extinction. It’s happening in plain sight—on platforms like eBay, where traffickers can sell poached plants to unsuspecting buyers. These illegal sales aren’t just a minor issue; they’re wreaking havoc on fragile ecosystems and fueling organized crime. As the demand for unique succulents, cacti, and other wild species rises, so too does the devastating impact of their illegal harvest.
Since 2019, law enforcement in South Africa alone has seized over a million illegally harvested succulents, many of which ended up for sale online1. These plants, taken from the wild, destroy entire ecosystems, stripping the land of its biodiversity. Some of these species take decades to grow, and once they are poached, the populations often struggle to recover.
An Online Marketplace of Destruction
eBay has become a central hub for illegal plant trade, and while the platform has made strides in removing illegal listings, much more needs to be done. In 2023, eBay removed over 500,000 illegal items2, but the black market for plants continues to thrive due to the sheer scale of online commerce. Traffickers can hide illegal plants among legitimate listings, making it easy for buyers to unknowingly contribute to the destruction of endangered species.
Succulents and cacti are particularly vulnerable. These beautiful, slow-growing plants are highly sought after, making them prime targets for poachers3. For instance, the rare Ariocarpus fissuratus cactus, found only in Texas, is being wiped out by poachers who sell it for high prices in European and Asian markets4. The damage to these plant populations is often irreversible, with some species driven to the edge of extinction in just a few years.
eBay Must Take Further Action
eBay’s current initiatives, like the development of FloraGuard—a web-crawling tool designed to detect illegal plant listings—are important steps in the right direction5. However, the platform’s enforcement measures need to go further. Stronger oversight, stricter seller verification, and enhanced monitoring systems are crucial to stopping the illegal plant trade at its source.
Without immediate action, these species may disappear forever. As one of the largest online marketplaces, eBay has the power to lead the fight against the illegal plant trade, but it requires our voices and pressure to make this happen. The time to act is now.
Your Voice Can Make a Difference
By calling on eBay’s leadership to strengthen their policies and expand their efforts, we can help protect our world’s most endangered plants. These actions are vital not only for preserving biodiversity but also for disrupting the organized crime networks that profit from this destructive trade. Together, we can ensure that future generations inherit a world where wild species still exist in their natural habitats.
We urge you to sign this petition to demand greater accountability and action from eBay. With your signature, we can push for stronger regulations that will safeguard endangered plants, protect ecosystems, and ensure that eBay remains a responsible marketplace.
Sign the petition now to help stop the illegal plant trade.
- Kew Gardens (4 September 2024), "Joint conservation and e-commerce action to urgently combat illegal plant trade."
- Phys.org (4 September 2024), "UK conservationists and eBay team up against plant poaching."
- Karl Mathiesen, The Guardian (6 May 2016), "Amazon and eBay hosting ads for banned invasive species."
- Al Barrus, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (1 November 2019), "Catching cactus crooks."
- Jack Elliot Marley, Mongabay (22 November 2017), "eBay is outselling the darknet in the illegal wildlife trade, fret researchers."
The Petition:
To the Chairman and President and CEO of eBay,
We, the undersigned, applaud eBay’s current efforts to block the illegal trade of rare and endangered species. However, the alarming rise in the global demand for wild plant species—such as succulents and cacti—requires even greater oversight and vigilance to protect our natural world.
Illegal plant trade is devastating ecosystems and fueling organized crime. Poached plants, often sold on platforms like eBay, are pushing species toward extinction while wreaking havoc on fragile habitats. Though some buyers may be unaware, the environmental consequences are severe and lasting.
As one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms, eBay plays a critical role in curbing this harmful market. Your platform’s reach makes it a prime target for traffickers who can easily hide illegal goods among legitimate listings. Current initiatives like FloraGuard are a promising start, but further steps are needed. These could include enhanced monitoring systems, stricter seller verification, and stronger collaborations with conservationists and law enforcement agencies.
By implementing greater checks and accountability measures, eBay can help dismantle the illegal plant trade at its roots. Strengthening these policies will not only safeguard endangered species but also support responsible sellers and ethical consumers.
We believe these actions will ensure a better, more sustainable future for all—where the beauty of our planet’s flora can thrive for generations to come. Your leadership in this matter is crucial to making that vision a reality.
Sincerely,
